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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=plakopliko@gmail.com href="mailto:plakopliko@gmail.com">Plakopliko</A>
</DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=zoe@esemplastic.net
href="mailto:zoe@esemplastic.net">Zoe</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, October 28, 2008 8:10 PM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> EU call for proposals on independent media</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Hi Zoe,<BR><BR>Just got back from an exhausting but very
successful trip on Sunday. While looking at background documents on the EU
application I am working on, I remembered that I was going to send you info on
this one, about independent medias and democracy. I have attached the most
important files, and included the relevant text from the work progamme at the
end of this message, full info is at<BR><BR><A
href="http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.CooperationDetailsCallPage&call_id=152">http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/dc/index.cfm?fuseaction=UserSite.CooperationDetailsCallPage&call_id=152</A><BR><BR><BR><BR>Activity
8.5: The Citizen in the European Union Rationale
The European Union has often been associated with democratic consolidation
and fundamental rights. At the same time, critics suggest that the
European Union is driven more by economic integration rather than
democracy and citizen participation. Criticisms relate to issues of
citizenship, and participation, the direction of policy agendas, political
trends and more. This leads to a question whether a
common European citizenship and a responsive and efficient new type of
European democratic governance and policy could or should emerge today
that are compatible with other kinds of democratically accepted existing
cultures, identities and practices within and across Member States and how
this could happen. Interdisciplinary research will address the
various ways in which diverse forms and interpretations of the role of the
media, the notions and practices of citizenship, diversities and
commonalities can overcome problems and difficulties emerging at the national,
regional, and EU level. In all areas, research should not only improve the
current picture of socio-political situations, but also make the widest
possible use of findings to develop or reflect upon possible solutions to
more particular problems. It should therefore attempt to develop critical
perspectives and innovative theories as well as building on empirical data. In
this context, comparisons with other social, economic and political
systems outside the EU area will be important. Analytical and critical new
perspectives, interdisciplinary (e.g. interaction between social
scientists and humanities scholars) and reflection on policy relevance are
important in addressing these issues. Area
<A href="http://8.5.1."><font color="red"><b>MailScanner warning: numerical links are often malicious:</b></font> 8.5.1.</A> Participation and citizenship in
Europe Objective Understand the participation and
representation of the citizen and to reflect upon the evolving role of the
media in contemporary democracy. Expected Impact The projects
will advance knowledge on how media independence can be safeguarded in
Europe and how this influences democratic practices and debate. They will foster
a European and comparative analysis of the subject and encourage the
involvement of relevant civil society organisations in the research
activities, through the use of the funding scheme 'Research for the
Benefit of Specific Groups - Civil Society Organisations (BSG-CSO)'.
Topics: <BR>SSH-2009 - <A
href="http://5.1.1."><font color="red"><b>MailScanner warning: numerical links are often malicious:</b></font> 5.1.1.</A> Independent media and democracy in
Europe Independent media are essential for sound democracies –
and transition to democracy – as they provide information that help
citizens judge the actions of their political representatives and foster a
plurality of views. Concentration of media ownership – a phenomenon of
increasing importance in Europe and beyond – can undermine plurality, integrity,
editorial freedom. At the same time, the rise of blogs, open access and
on-line publishing point towards new venues for pluralism. Research
should explore and explain in a comparative manner the role of media in
the formation, consolidation and working of democracies in Europe, also in
comparison with experiences outside Europe. Governance of the media sector,
processes of media convergence and concentration, perspectives for media
pluralism and independence should be examined, as well as the relations
between different considerations (e.g. freedom of expression and
information vs commercial interests, respect for different cultures,
provisions for state security) in selecting and framing
news. Funding scheme: Collaborative project; BSG-CSO
(Research for the Benefit of Specific Groups - Civil Society
Organisations) <BR>
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